The present invention relates generally to airplane landing wheels. It is well known that airplane wheels are necessitated to start rotating prior to landing of the craft, so as to prevent a blow out of the tire caused by the sudden contact against the stationary ground. Accordingly, numerous devices have been developed in the past for starting such wheel rotation, however, until now such are all subject to being improved.
Examples of excellent prior art systems are disclosed in the following U.S. Patents, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,665, May 17, 1983, Wind-driven rotating aircraft landing wheels, Maclean, Ewen M.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,773,283, Nov. 20, 1973, SELF ROTATING AIRPLANE TIRE, Abplanalp, Robert.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,529,792, May 1968, MacMahon.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,912,937, October, 1975, Lesser.
This invention relates to a system for reducing tire wear of an airborne vehicle that requires a runway upon which to land. A stream of air is naturally directed against a mechanical housing affixed to the wheels of the airborne vehicle, the device comprising a number of radially spaced surfaces symmetrically positioned about the housing and bolted to the existing wheel assembly. When the landing gear is in the extended position, natural air flow across the radially spaced surfaces causes the wheel to rotate at the equivalent to the landing speed of the aircraft, eliminating excessive wear on the tire, reducing stress on the landing gear assembly and resulting in a more controlled landing.